Cooler chests of various shapes and sizes are and have been in extremely wide usage in connection with a wide variety of outdoor activities of families and friends. Generally, a supply of ice is disposed in the cooler chest chamber to refrigerate food supplies, fish catches, etc., for a day's activities. Heretofore, it has been necessary to provide a second unit, generally in the form of an insulated jug for beverages.
Jugs of this nature are generally provided with an exterior tap means for withdrawing the beverages therefrom without removal of the jug lid or necessitating a pouring operation. However, it has been necessary to transport and to carry two separate items to the scene of the outdoor activities.
There also have been a number of attempts to provide cooling appliances or water coolers in which a fluid container is disposed interiorly of a larger container in having an exterior tap. Examples of these are found in typical U.S. Patents as follows: Nos. 700,005; 1,776,307; 305,269; 1,648,594; 2,151,104; and 3,613,872. Other typical patents showing containers within other containers, not having exterior taps are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,459,295; 3,266,623; 3,288,344; and 3,670,918.
Of these prior art approaches to the problems, the Armstrong U.S. Pat. No. 700,005 and the Bosque U.S. Pat. No. 1,776,307 appear to be the most pertinent. However, both patents are extremely complex water cooler devices which do not offer the advantages of the present invention. Similarly, Japanese Patent to Kondo 46-20990 of 1967 calls for an integral fluid storage tank in an insulated icebox which has both an exterior tap and an exterior communicating air vent system.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple cooler chest having a self-contained liquid dispenser for beverages which maintains all the conveniences of a separate cooler chest and thermos jug without the need to transport the second item to the site of the activities.